Hi everyone, i'm new here and looking for info or help. i am 30 and have suffered with lower back pain from around 16 years old. i was diagnosed with viral meningitis and hospitalised in June 2014 and was in hospital for a couple of weeks. i thought i had made a full recovery although i had progressing back pain.

Then 14 months later i had a very bad sciatic nerve attack which lasted around 2 weeks, unable to walk or move without pain. Since this attack it has happened numerous times over the years and has had a major impact on my life.

i now suffer with anxiety, depression and constant weakness and pain in my back and left leg. i have been seen by specialists in arthritis and pain management but neither can understand why i have not recovered from the first sciatic attack which has led me to question, did the Viral Meningitis have an effect on me which has caused all this ?

4 Replies

I cannot speak to the sciatic pain or symptoms caused by that. I have had meningitis viral called Mollartes meningitis with about 17 hospitalizations and approx 30 spinal taps. I can speak to the symptoms residual to meningitis. I have fatigue always, stiff neck, thoracic back pain and occasionally lower back pain. I have photophobia and cannot be in the sun without immediate worsening and sever headaches. I have a pressure feeling on the temples oh my head and ringing in my ears most of the time, with nausea, and memory issues. Some days I cave in and take a pain pill, but not everyday. I feel like I want to sleep, but often cannot. These symptoms are very common I think with several who have reoccurent cases of viral meningitis, freq diagnosised as Mollarets.

I had bacterial meningitis and had 3 spinal tabs. I have had that same exact lowet bk pain, its bad, hurts to walk , stand up, sit down, to move at all is a task, my drs dont understand y i am still hurting either but i did a lil research, the spinal tabs can cause permanent nerve damage

thank you for the replies everyone, i have no idea what to do next as i am being passed from consultant to consultant and none know why i have not recovered from the sciatic flair up in 2015. i believe that the viral meningitis and the spinal exams may have something to do with it but im no expert, just struggling with day to day life.